The invention relates generally to an electronic receptacle assembly, and more particularly, to a receptacle which is mounted on a circuit board and configured to have one or more transceiver modules plugged into the receptacle.
Various types of fiber optic and copper based transceivers that permit communication between electronic host equipment and external devices are known. The transceivers may be incorporated into modules that can be pluggably connected to the host equipment to provide flexibility in system configuration. The modules are constructed according to various standards for size and compatibility, one standard being the Small Form-factor Pluggable (SFP) module standard.
The SFP module is plugged into a receptacle that is mounted on a circuit board within the host equipment. The receptacle includes an elongated guideframe, or cage, having a front that is open to an interior space, and an electrical connector disposed at a rear of the cage within the interior space. Both the connector and the guideframe are electrically and mechanically connected to the circuit board, and when an SFP module is plugged into a receptacle it is electrically and mechanically connected to the circuit board. Conventional SFP modules and receptacles, generally, carry data signals at rates up to 2.5 gigabits per second (Gbps).
More recently, new standards provide that the transceiver modules increase the data rate, which may create several problems that were not experienced previously. One problem is that the transceiver modules and the surrounding circuitry will generate significantly greater quantities of heat, which should be removed in order for the electronic components to survive long term. In at least some known receptacles, more than one heat sink is applied to facilitate dissipating the added heat. For example, a heat sink may be applied to both the top and bottom of the cage. However, when more than one heat sink is used it may be more difficult to position the receptacle and other components upon the circuit board.
Another problem is that the transceiver modules will generate increased quantities of electro-magnetic (EM) energy at very short wavelengths. As the EM energy at the short wavelengths increases, the potential exists for more EM energy to pass through gaps in the shielding of the receptacle or guideframe. It is desirable to shield or isolate the data signals from EMI to the extent practical.
There is a need to improve the design of a pluggable electronic module and receptacle in order to overcome present deficiencies and anticipated problems, among other things, due to higher data rates.